Some cows do fight back!
Way to go Mumma!!!!
In the last post Messing with DNA, I talked about cows being messed about with in order to drop their temperature. Well, it appears that the poor cow is going to be subjected to more tampering.
This time it’s about the milk and I really don’t know quite where to start. There are so many dairy products out there, that I’m just glad I don’t have it because I wouldn’t know where to begin choosing which milk would be right for me.
However, I recently learned about a new product that’s been launched that has me shaking my head with scepticism…. which meant, I felt the need to blog.
Currently, there has been quite a dramatic drop in the consumer purchase of dairy which is effectively creating a downturn in the dairy industry. This appears to be happening worldwide.
So dairy companies are trying to come up with ways to increase market share and this latest thing just cracked me up!
“Sleep-boosting dark milk” coming from a New Zealand company. Something that’s not too new as scientists in Finland have been working on this and it’s also now available in Britain.
It appears that if you milk the cows after sunset and before sunrise, the milk produces a higher level of the hormone melatonin which is known to help regulate sleep.
Oh, the shed has to be dark as well.
This melatonin found in the milk after dark can be upwards of 10 times higher than that found in day time milk.
So let’s see. Our choice of different kinds of milk here in New Zealand are:
- Fat-free
- Added calcium
- Added protein
- Lactose-free
- Help you to sleep
- Organic
- Full cream
That covers a vast array of consumers, doesn’t it?
My feeling is that milk is no longer “straight from the cow”. It is bastardised until it’s pretty much unrecognisable, all for the health of the consumers … well, that’s what they want you to think. What I think is that it’s all for the profit.
And, one last thing ….. what about the poor cows having to be milked in the dark? Spare a thought for them!
Today I read the most disturbing thing.
The Smithsonian Magazine reported that scientists are now messing about with the DNA of cows. Reason?
To combat climate change and the rise in global temperatures.
So, let’s step back a minute. The first thing is that these particular scientists have declared their belief in global warming … which is a good thing.
Now that they’ve done that – they have realized that, in order for the meat and dairy industries to continue, the cows are going to have to change. (We’re talking for both meat and dairy). So, they’re busy at trying to change the DNA so that the cows can “beat the heat”.
“…Scientists and ranchers have an idea of traits that can contribute to heat tolerance – metabolic rates, ability to shed their coats, hair color – but there is no silver bullet. ….Several independent studies, however, have managed to link heat tolerance – at least in part – to the color of a cow’s hair.…”
What does that mean? A bit of GM will be going on.
The stupid part is … Livestock (and the majority are cattle), is the largest source of methane gas emissions worldwide, contributing over 28% of total emissions. So let’s think about reducing the intake of meat and dairy ???? Right! As if that’s going to happen while it’s such a big industry.
And, talking about genetically changing animals – In Australia, pigs are being bred to have more ribs than normal!
At the moment, it’s so they can have more piglets. You see, the more ribs, the longer the pig, the more nipples, the more piglets. But it does make you wonder if they will bring this idea into the pork eating side of things.
Pope Francis has published his encyclical
and the 192 page document holds a lot of good stuff, that, hopefully, is going to be taken on board and will begin the change that is needed in this world we live in.
I’m not about to summarize the encyclical … that would be a lengthy blog post. Instead I just want to say that he has covered a lot of topics from global warming to the issue of water, (even covering the pollution of the oceans), and the effects on the poor and developing countries.
It’s pretty obvious he has done his homework and presents both the scientific as well as the biblical and theology side. And he also addresses the varying opinions about global warming that are out there. He also has not been soft in his criticism of the way wealthy countries/corporations use and abuse poorer countries who sit on goldmines such as fossil fuels, but do not have the means to protect their environments from the ravages of the greedy.
All in all, this is a powerful document. But one that gives hope. He points out things that are working now as examples of what can be done.
One sentence that I was impressed with
“…Politics must not be subject to the economy, nor should the economy be subject to the dictates of an efficiency-driven paradigm of technocracy….”
Oh now wouldn’t that be an ideal world!
Right at the beginning he opens with the words of St Francis …
“Praise be to you, my Lord, through our Sister, Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, and who produces various fruit with coloured flowers and herbs”….
and in the very next paragraph he boldly states
“…This sister now cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her. We have come to see ourselves as her lords and masters, entitled to plunder her at will. The violence present in our hearts, wounded by sin, is also reflected in the symptoms of sickness evident in the soil, in the water, in the air and in all forms of life. This is why the earth herself, burdened and laid waste, is among the most abandoned and maltreated of our poor; she “groans in travail” (Rom 8:22). We have forgotten that we ourselves are dust of the earth (cf. Gen 2:7); our very bodies are made up of her elements, we breathe her air and we receive life and refreshment from her waters….”
It kind of sets the tone for the rest of the document.
Regardless if you are a devout Catholic, of other Christian faith, Muslim or other religion, Agnostic or Atheist, you can take out the religious part if you want and you will still find this is a powerful document. This man packs a heap of a punch and has a fair amount of influence. I’m hoping that it pays off.
Do you remember the blog post I did recently about Pope Francis and the environment? … well, in it I said that the rockin’ Pope was going to be issuing an encyclical (see end for definition), about the environment and humanity’s relationship with nature.
Well, be prepared, folks – it’s due out on Thursday. That’s June 18th and I will try to keep you posted as soon as I hear what it says.
In them meantime – wrap your laughing gear around this. Last Tuesday, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon of the UN trotted over to the Vatican and he and the Pope had a bit of a pow-wow session on climate change and its impact on the poor of the world.
They weren’t alone, there were scientists, diplomats and religious and political leaders in there as well.
As I said in the previous Pope post (say that 10 times quickly), his stance as rankled some of the more conservative Catholics not to mention the climate change skeptics. They reckon that the Pope is being misled by climate change scientists. And, get this – they believe that our sweet Francis should be arguing that fossil fuels are the moral choice for the developing world!
Now this statement doesn’t surprise me in the least as this has just been released “…The U.S. could be completely powered by renewable energy by 2050, according to a report from Stanford University…”. CNBC NEWS . So I’m wondering how much these “skeptics” have invested that they are scrambling to try and back the fossil fuel industry
This “greenery” thing from the Vatican is actually not new. Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, wrote about the role of industrial pollution in destroying the environment. And, surprising, Pope Benedict was labeled a “greeny” after he initiated projects to make the Vatican carbon-neutral. Other religious groups, including evangelical Christians, have spoken about the impact of environmental destruction on the poor.
Also, just as an aside. Did you know that Francis, when he was a Cardinal back in 2004, actually came out and said that destruction of the environment contributed to inequality and the need for social reforms.
Wait – there’s one more fact I want to tell you. He also trained as a chemist and became very interested in the links between environmental destruction and social ills, including a dispute over paper pulp mills on the border with Uruguay, which Argentina claimed were polluting local drinking water. Unfortunately it went to the World Court and they backed Uruguay. Source.
It’s not a new thing for him and, obviously something he’s very passionate about.
So … it’s going to be interesting on Thursday when it all becomes public.
An encyclical is a letter – and one from the Vatican goes round to all Catholics world-wide … it’s read out during the service.
About Me
